The wireless network technology was invented by CSIRO, a research institute under the Australian government, in the 1990s, and successfully applied for the wireless network technology patent in the United States on 1996.
IEEE once asked the Australian government to give up the wireless network patent and let the world use Wi-Fi technology for free, but it was rejected.
Every time we buy an electronic device with Wi-Fi technology, the price we pay includes the patent fee paid to the Australian government.